Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Within the pages of SurfWatch is the rich history of Second Life (SL) surfing from the mouths of the surfers that created or developed or promoted or excelled in this virtual sport over the years. Enjoy these interviews and the perspective from these surf legends as SurfWatch begins "The Legends Series":By Tauri Tigerpaw. Exclusive to SurfWatch.SurfWatch recently caught up with one of Second Life surfing's pioneers Keala Mimistrobell, founder-owner of Namiko Surf Company, organiser of Second Life's first surfing competition (the Namiko Pro at Chi Island, March 2007) and one of the few early members of Second Life's surfing community. Namiko, which loosely translated means ‘child of the wave’ in Japanese, donates a percentage of sales revenue to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Namiko has eighteen retail stores in Second Life.

SurfWatch: Almost everyone has seen your name and knows you're associated with Namiko and the beginnings of Second Life surfing. How did you get involved with surfing in Second Life?Keala: Well, I came to Second Life in search of surf... and so one of the first places I landed was Quan Li. Seb [Sebastian Saramago] and Heather [Goodliffe] had been making some of Quan Li's first surfboards (ones that actually worked!). Some of the people I met at Quan Li lent me their boards to use... gave me bikinis....you know, helping out the noob [smiles]. And gradually, I got it into my head that we needed a real surf company in Second Life. But not something that was just about wearing the clothes... it was about spreading the joy of surf... spreading the stoke! We wanted people who didn't know anything about surfing to be introduced to it. Maybe they'd take their new found joy and try it in real life too.

SurfWatch: You came to Second Life specifically for surfing? That's a first!Keala: Well, they said anything was possible in Second Life! People came here to virtually travel to the Great Wall of China... or race cars... or fly.. or whatever. So I thought I'd look and see if there was any surfing.SurfWatch: Who were your first surfing influences in Second Life?Keala: Luckily, Seb, Heather and Joe [SurferJoe Wind] were here. Lessons didn't exist back in those days [smiles]. In November 2006, it was just past the sign-up boom for Second Life. There were tonnes of noobs just messing everyone up. Almost no surfers around. Joe was the first real surfer I met and so he showed me a couple things on the board.

SurfWatch: So, just a handful of surfers?Keala: Absolutely. Seb, Heather, Poid [Mahovlich], Joe...There were a couple more people on the beach who surfed in real life. From all over... Europe, Japan. But not a lot of Cali boys ... and definitely no Tofino girls!

SurfWatch: Tell us about the first Second Life surfing competition.Keala: I had mentioned the idea a bunch of times to Heather, Hey... say... wouldn't it be cool if we ran surf competitions? And she agreed but didn't think Quan Li was the place to do it... it being low-prim and all. So, I introduced myself to Sally [LaSalle] and Poid who co-owned Chi Island at the time. They were the only class-5 surf spot on the grid at the time. We ran a demonstration event with the team riders I had started to put together, to get spectators out to watch a surf event. It went over great and we ended up running our first comp there.

SurfWatch: How big was the first event?Keala: I guess when I arrived, there were these great boards that Seb and Heather were working on, but no one knew about them. And at the same time, Rad's [Radical Twang] company Reaction was up and running, but it wasn't at all involved in the 'surf community'.. so there was this gap between the people, the activity, the brands.... really the 'lifestyle' was not cohesive. I think the competitions gave the community a focus.

SurfWatch: What do you think about it all now? The sophistication of the competitions, the whole subculture of the community etc.?Keala: Well, I think it was inevitable and foreseeable. In real life, I have been administering amateur sports events for years and the formation of the SLSA and their competition system is exactly what was destined to happen. I totally appreciate that there are people who feel so strongly about this activity now that they are willing to dedicate so much blood, sweat, tears and breath to maintaining the system. But of course, with any system, there will be people who want to rebel against it. Both in real life and Second Life. So you'll get the 'soul surfers' who won't compete, but I think there is space for everyone in this community.

SurfWatch: Where do you foresee things going in the future?Keala: As long as we are kind, love each other and take care of each other, we will be fine. However, I can see it going as it has in real life, from my experiences. Basically, SLSA will continue to function if and only if it maintains the right people. Right now, Sally is super involved and is the mainstay. Most others seem to get excited, burn out and fade away.

SurfWatch: So with elections coming up soon, how would you define 'the right people'?Keala: Okay, how do I explain...The system that has been created is sophisticated, yes, and needs to be maintained. It's kind of like feeding the monster! Every SLSA board that comes along makes changes and adds new layers of complexity. It's a lot for people to maintain. It can be overwhelming: especially since it is done in this difficult virtual medium. So people get burnt out quickly. People quit the board very soon after they join, after they realize how much work it is to feed the monster. I've met so many people in Second Life and they are all wonderful in their own right. Everyone has valid and passionate reasons for joining the board. But I think there can be characteristics of a person that will make it a lot more productive, not so set in their ways. So, people who can be open minded, flexible, communicative, passionate, but not stubborn. This is a growing community, a growing period, so we all have to be open to change [laughs] Does that make any sense?SurfWatch: Well spoken! And your own future in Second Life surfing?Keala:[laughs] My own future is to stay happy and keep surfing. I hope that all the competitions and all the team politics and personalities don't end up taking away from that original, core feeling. That in the end, it's you on the board hearing the rush of the water. I hope people are able to find peace with themselves through surfing.

In the meantime, I'm building this surf/snow sim and working on snowboards too, on the other side of this island. We're not finished yet, but soon.... I'm still building out the terrain park and stuff. Heather's been a gem, designing improvements to the snowboards. Snowboarding is a whole other story... [smiles]

Sunday, April 9, 2017

There’s nothing more exciting than watching surfers riding the big maverick waves in real life. Especially when you consider some of those waves are taller than three story buildings. It is an understatement to say that real life (RL) surfing is quite an exhilarating and dangerous sport. Putting your life on the line to stand on a handmade or manufactured surfboard takes a lot of courage and trust in the makers of those boards. Is it any wonder that surfing made its way to Second Life (SL) given the romance of chasing the ultimate waves?

With this in mind, I am left to wonder who is making the boards in SL? Can they stand up to the intense power of a Maverick wave? After some investigation, I have found some answers to these burning questions. Shack Schapira, a long-term resident of SL, was very kind to take time out of his busy life to answer some questions about his creative works. Shack is a talented creator and scripter of surfboards in SL. The C-3 surfboards were created 3 years ago by Shack. He created these smooth riding boards and also scripted, and animated them. However, he is quick to note that no creative project occurs without advice from friends and people who are more familiar with surfing in RL. His unique surfboards are available on the Second Life Marketplace and in-world at THE SHACK, House (34, 210, 1801) – Moderate. He also has released a franchise of the C-3 systems to a few select retailers to alter textures and board shapes. Shack also has other quality products that you should be sure to check out, like his C-3 Diver, S – Swim buoy, and the C-3 Swimmer. His adventurous and creative designs are expertly created and sure to catch everyone’s attention.

Moving on to the surfboards. The early versions of surfboards in SL were not as detailed as today’s versions. They were flat and rather unrealistic. Needless to say, the modern SL surfboard has evolved. Today, RL 3D computer models are used to create realistic SL surfboards. It’s both obvious yet important to note that the end result of the product is significantly different in RL and SL. Surfboards generally have three components: the board, the animations, and most importantly, the scripts.

First let’s look at the boards themselves. With the explosion of mesh products on the marketplace in SL, I felt like we needed to know what those surfboards are made of. The newest version of surfboards, C -3, are a mixture of mesh and standard prims. The visible components of most boards are either mesh or sculpties. "This is done to achieve the realistic appearance of today’s surfboards", said Shack. Additionally, the quality of the surfboard ride depends on variations such as board shape and differences in components.

As with most things in RL and SL, size does matter. Larger boards react differently than smaller boards on the waves. Secondly, the animations determine whether you are standing on the board, flipping, or hanging ten. The most important component of a surfboard is the one that brings everything to life, the scripts. Scripts determine how the board moves, floats, turns and reacts with the waves. C-3 Surfboards work on all waves in SL today, however, to surf the fluffy waves, a different scripting is needed. The C-3 version has the fluffy wave modifications. So, let’s all get out there and enjoy all this hard work from the creators by catching a wave.

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Welcome to SurfWatch, the virtual world surfing and beach blog covering virtual world surfing and beaches since 2008.Tauri TigerpawEditor-in-Chief